Atomic Homefront

"Atomic Homefront" (2017 release; 90 min.) is a documentary about a massive nuclear waste site right in the middle of the northern St. Louis suburbs, and how it is affecting the surrounding communities. As the movie opens, we are in "North St. Louis County, Missouri" and a maintenance guy is checking the grounds for elevated levels of radioactivity. We soon learn that back in the early 1940s, the US government chose St. Louis to process and store various nuclear waste, and that the nuclear waste was stored in a huge open air site. Now 6-7 decades on, there is an alarming rise in people getting sick, and/or getting cancer and/or dying. Several concerned citizens are banding together, and are looking for answers and accountability... At this point we are 10 min. into the film, but to tell you more of the events in the film would spoil your viewing experience, you'll just have to see for yourself how it all plays out.

Couple of comments: this is the latest film directed by longtime documentarian Rebecca Cammisa, whose previous work includes the excellent "Which Way Home". Here she investigates and documents the ineptitude and outright criminal negligence of "the government" (including at the local, state and federal level) on dealing with this matter. First of all, whose bright idea was it to store nuclear waste in a major METROPOLITAN area? Second, why weren't people who were buying houses in the nearby communities (Coldwater Creek, Bridgeton) told anything about the nuclear waste site located less than a mile away? Third, why are so many instances of authorities (including the state and federal EPA, among others) outright skirting their duties, apparently without any negative consequences? And on and on. This is sure to make your blood boil in disbelief and disgust. When another contingency plan looks untested and/or suspicious, one concerned citizen asks "what is the contingency for the contingency plan?", to the applause of other meeting attendants, while the government official just stands there, unable to respond in any way. In the end, your heart goes out to these communities who have been lied to, misled, and completely abandoned by those that are supposed to protect these communities.

It's been about 18 months since filming was completed and it's unfortunate that we don't know what has happened since then. I recently caught this on HBO On Demand, and was transfixed from start to finish. If you are interested in learning more about a nuclear waste site improbably located in a heavily populated area (I mean, you can't make this up!), I'd readily suggest you check this out on VOD, and draw your own conclusion.

I debated about watching this documentary, questioning how compelling it could be. I did choose to watch it and, yes, it is compelling! Atomic Homefront documents the battle of communities around a radioactive waste dump site in north St. Louis. Several generations of families have lived close to this dump site. At times locals residents can smell the odors from the decomp of this waste. Children have played in a nearby creek for years. The EPA declared the site a Superfund Site in 1990, but has done little remediation claiming the level of exposure to local residents is minimal. Despite the EPA's findings, Cancer rates have soared and then there is that smell. That little creek floods and carries radioactive waste into homes. More recently, a Subsurface Smoldering Event has developed in another part of the dump and threatens to reach the radioactive waste.

How does a community cope with this? People find themselves trapped by mortgages, caring for sick family members, and trying to obtain accountability. This documentary is about the fight for that accountability against government agencies that are mired in red tape and are unresponsive to the plight of the people in the neighborhoods.

I Googled Superfund Sites in the US after watching this. You should, too.

This WWI II deadly nuclear legacy is not at Hiroshima or Nagasaki. It's in the suburbs of St. Louis, Missouri. It has been shrouded for many years since tons of nuclear waste was mishandled starting as early as 1946 This has created a ticking time bomb as it continues to steadily spread into the air and water. It's not in the middle of nowhere but actually in the homes and properties of residents. It has been found in public parks too. There is no doubt where it originated from and the radioactive waste has never been properly contained. Thus it is no wonder many bad things have already happened culminating in many illnesses and deaths. This documentary will make one wonder why the government, and the EPA in particular, are stonewalling the residents who are fighting to have the waste removed and given proper buy-outs for relocation. Too many bad things are known and not even up for argument so why the lack of action? This situation isn't just a steady release of deadly radioactive nucleotides either as there is a potential for a catastrophic even greater release of radioactivity when a known unabated underground fire finally spreads to the area within the landfill of the nuclear waste dump materials. To summarize, this is a very deadly situation that left in it's present state will get much worse.

This film should shame the governmental powers that be into action as it is quite urgent and damning as to the lack of a safe solution. Will it? It may just depend on how many folks see this and are outraged. I believe this makes it worthy of your attention. Here's something quite curious...Bill Gates for all practical purposes is the owner of the landfill that is the source of this deadly nuclear contamination. He has positioned himself as the ultimate humanitarian for many underdeveloped nations and their ills. So why isn't he pressuring both his company and the government to take action? After all this is in his home country and his power and wealth could make the difference. Let us hope his humanitarianism extends to this very grave situation.

We were shocked to find out that radioactive material from the Manhattan Project was dumped in and around St. Louis. This isn't your average documentary and it isn't just another environmental rant.

This documentary highlights the continuing plight of residents that surround this dump area. It also shows how an underground fire is encroaching on the buried radioactive material. Also shows that the buried material is hazardous on its own. The government does not seem to care. Republic Services (Bill Gates is a major shareholder) which owns the landfill does not care. The EPA doesa not care. Simply heartbreaking